The Rev. Ken Loyer looked up on a recent Sunday to see his new youth director, Cindy Strawbridge, greeting an unfamiliar face in the rear of Otterbein United Methodist Church in York Township.

"I assumed it was someone she knew," Loyer said.

Turns out, the newcomer was a woman Strawbridge met the day before in her doctor's office. The two struck up a conversation, and Strawbridge invited her to church.

Loyer was not surprised to learn the real story. Strawbridge "blew us away" with her enthusiasm and commitment to Christ when she interviewed around the holidays, he said.

While many churches are losing members, Otterbein is growing both its traditional and contemporary services, Loyer said.

Cindy Strawbridge of York jokes with a diner during a recent Valentine s dinner and dance at the Otterbein United Methodist Church of Spry. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS KATE PENN)

So much so, the church elders opted to add a part-time youth director to the staff.

Strawbridge, 30, proved to be an outside-the-box candidate: an African-American woman who grew up in a New York City Pentecostal church. She moved to York after marrying Jonathan Strawbridge, an IT specialist at WellSpan Health.

By contrast, Otterbein is a Methodist church whose congregation is almost entirely white. But Loyer said the church had no preconceived notions about who they would hire.

"We did not limit ourselves to saying, 'This person has to be Methodist ... or this person has to be from a certain cultural background,'" he said.

Strawbridge started work at Otterbein about four weeks ago, and Loyer said he is noticing an increased energy among the congregation.

"Cindy has this gift for connecting with people and reaching out," he said. "She's exactly the kind of person who will help take our ministry to the next level."

"She's very outgoing and enthusiastic. She talks in youth-friendly terms and she always has a positive attitude," said the fifth-grader at North Hopewell Winterstown Elementary School. "I play soccer, and she says she's going to come to some of my games.

Cindy Strawbridge of York, center, jokes with Denise and Tom Harlacker of Jacobus during a Valentine s dinner and dance at the Otterbein United Methodist Church of Spry. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS KATE PENN)

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Accepted Christ

Raised in Brooklyn, Strawbridge said she accepted Christ as her savior at 15. Throughout high school, she served in the youth ministry at Church of God of Prophecy.

She went on to earn her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from John Jay College in New York City and works with at-risk youth at the Abraxas Academy in Morgantown, Berks County.

The Strawbridges spent several years attending another York church, where Cindy was a youth leader. In September 2011, she was licensed as an evangelist under Bishop Benjamin Ravenel, jurisdictional prelate of the Church of God In Christ.

When she was looking for a church leadership opportunity, Strawbridge turned to www.youthministry.

com and uploaded her profile. At about the same time, Loyer signed up to scout candidates for the Otterbein position.

"It all looked very impressive," he said of her credentials. "Then I saw she was living in York. ... I was impressed by her passion, her interest and her vision."

Strawbridge was a little unsure what to expect from such a different church setting than she was used to.

"I was curious about how the congregation was going to receive me," she said. "But the one thing I'm excited about is we've gone into the church and everyone has embraced us."

Differences between the Methodist and Pentecostal faiths are few, Loyer said.

"It's the same God," Strawbridge added.

A different style

Strawbridge has noticed differences in the Methodist worship style. While the 11 a.m. contemporary worship is more upbeat, it is a far cry from the more theatrical Pentecostal way, she said.

"I've noticed a few 'Amens!'" she said. "One of the things I love about Pastor Ken is he's leading by example. It's nice to see a pastor who doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves and serving dinner."

One of Strawbridge's first initiatives was to set up the Songbird Cafe coffeehouse at Otterbein. The café will be open to the public from 7 to 10 p.m. every third Friday, starting March 15, for music, snacks, coffee, games and conversation.

Nicole Adams said she "hit it off" with Strawbridge the first time they met. Adams had been helping out with Otterbein's youth program.

"I totally trust her to take over what I was doing and things I was working on," Adams said. "I know she can do a much better job and has a lot more time to devote to it.

"She seems to have a lot of background with inner-city youth," she added. "I'm excited for her to combine our kids at Otterbein with some other kids that our kids might not come in contact with."

Background

Name: Cindy Strawbridge

Age: 30

Family: Married Jonathan Strawbridge in September

Education: associate's degree from Harrisburg Area Community

College in criminal justice; bachelor's degree in criminal justice from John Jay College

Career: Youth development specialist at the Abraxas Academy in Morgantown, Pa.; part-time youth director at Otterbein United Methodist Church of Spry

If you go

Otterbein United Methodist Church of Spry is planning several new events under new youth director Cindy Strawbridge. More details are available at www.otterbeinumcspry.com. Upcoming events include: